On the 21st: We spoke with Juan Felipe Herrera, the first Latino U.S. Poet Laureate of the United States. Plus, scientists from an Illinois supercomputing facility told us about their role in a new 3D space documentary.

Thursday's graduation ceremony at Chicago State University was less of a solemn ceremony, and more of a political rally, for students capping off a very political year at a campus hard hit by Illinois' budget impasse.

The annual Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon gets underway Friday night with the 5k run and walk, and features several events on Saturday, including a 10k, half marathon, and full marathon. Illinois Public Media's Brian Moline spent some time with race co-directors Jan Seeley and Mike Lindemann to get a sense of what their days are like leading up to the event.

Following the signing this week of an emergency funding bill for higher education in Illinois, money for the Monetary Award Program, or MAP grants, has been released. But while students attending colleges on the semester system will receive about half the money they were expecting, those on the quarter system will get just one-third.

Governor Bruce Rauner's appearance at an awards ceremony for student tech entrepreneurs at the University of Illinois Urbana campus was cut short by demonstrators who heckled him over the state budget impasse.

Non-tenure track faculty have launched another strike at the University of Illinois Urbana campus, that could last up to five days. Meanwhile, federally mediated contract talks with the university administration were scheduled to resume Thursday morning.

Journalist Katherine Zoepf (zohf) covered the Middle East for The New York Times between 2004 and 2010. And she says the reality is much more nuanced than the views of the region commonly held in the US. Illinois Public Media’s Amanda Honigfort talked with Zoepf about the stories shared in her recent book "Excellent Daughters: The Secret Lives of the Young Women Who are Transforming the Arab World."

The family of Ashley Gibson has spoken for the first time since authorities reported the death of the 24-year old from Urbana, whose remains were discovered in Clinton Lake on Sunday. Her mother, Ranae, says her daughter had dreams of leaving the area and joining the military, and never met a stranger.